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Alienation and Anomie

In: Social Issues

Submitted By mkhan381
Words 504
Pages 3
Comparison and Contrast of
Theories of Karl Marx, Max Weber and Émile Durkheim.

While influence on modern social science can be traced to many revolutionary figures, perhaps none had greater influence on modern social science than three social theorists/sociologists, Karl Marx and Émile Durkheim who have been known as principle architects of modern social science. Although modern theory of sociology was founded by Max Webber and Émile Durkheim, Karl Marx has had a profound impact on the evolution of modern sociology. Each of the three figures contributed to sociology in many ways through different approaches to social class and inequality. Many might argue that there are similarities between these sociologists’ theories and that they examined ideas that were similar; however, they all came to different conclusions.
Karl Marx was influenced by political economists who believed that the cost of production was determined by the amount of labor. Along with these and other influences, Karl Marx approached social problems and inequalities through his theory of alienation, which focuses on separation of things that naturally belong together. Marx’s theory further describes estrangement of individuals from their human nature as results a society divided into social classes. Karl Marx argued that class is decided by ownership or non-ownership of production. He also saw class as having connection to the means of production while Max weber’s idea of alienation is based on the concept of reason or rationality. In contrast, Emile Durkheim’s anomie was used in description of a condition of deregulations that was taking place in society. Max Weber was influenced by philosopher Immanuel Kant, who argued that moral requirements are based on a standard of rationality and that we can only give interpretation when trying to explain something, which is related to human

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